Establishment of Normative Self-Rated Health Status Data and Association with Ideal Life Expectancy of General Population in Korea.

PURPOSE: To establish normative data for holistic health parameters in the general Korean population and to investigate the factor associated with ideal life expectancy (ILE) among these holistic health parameters and sociodemographic variables.

METHODS: We used a questionnaire to obtain self-reported physical, mental, social, spiritual, and general health status, then evaluated their association with ILE. A total of 1,241 individuals responded to the questionnaire, from which we established a multidimensional health status reference dataset representing the Korean population. To explain factors associated with ILE, we stratified results by age and sex and performed multiple logistic regression of sociodemographic variables and multidimensional health status.

RESULTS: Females more frequently reported poor health status for all five health categories. The average ILE was 87.3 years, versus 84.4 years of life expectancy in the general Korean population. Unemployment, single marital status, higher income, and better social health were significantly associated with higher ILE.

CONCLUSIONS: ILE could be a good indicator reflecting social wellness in a certain society. Comprehensive social health promotion programs can improve individuals' attitudes toward life expectancy, especially for vulnerable groups.